Mechanical problem closes Warren ice rink for the season

A leak in a pipe has forced the closure of Warren’s municipal outdoor ice skating rink for the rest of the season.

Officials suspect a “feed pipe” that supplies brine — a water and salt mixture — to four miles of tubes below ground, has cracked.

Parks and Recreation workers first noticed in December, prior to the seasonal opening of the rink, that pressure through the line was low. A sealant was sent through the pipe, which is embedded in cement, to plug the leak.

That worked for two months but pressure began dropping again. Sealant was pumped through the feed pipe again, but the sealant began to come up at the edge of the ice surface. Officials decided to shut down the rink Jan. 31, and it will remain closed for the rest of winter.

The complete closure was announced this week, just days before the start of winter break at area schools.

“There was no doubt we would’ve been busy. It’s always a very good week for us,” Parks and Recreation Director Henry Bowman said.

“We’re more concerned about the overall condition and fixing it right and not throwing it together too quickly to make a couple extra dollars,” he said.

The daily fee to skate at the popular Warren ice rink was $4. Skate rental was $3.

The December holiday school break was the busiest period ever since the rink opened seven years ago, Bowman said.

Warren officials plan to check with other local communities that have municipal skating rinks to see how they have tackled similar rink problems.

Repairs are expected to begin in March.

“We want all the ice gone so we can see where all the leaks are coming from,” Bowman said. The head of the city’s parks system said the city may hire a company that can snake a camera through the pipe to check for splits and leaks in the feed pipe. He is hopeful that problem spots are small and can be handled by the city’s public works or water division maintenance employees to hold down repair costs.

“If it’s that small of an area, I don’t think it will be very expensive at all,” Bowman said.

Officials expect the repairs will be completed before Memorial Day weekend, when the fountains are turned on.

The rink had a leaky pipe the first year it was open but it was fixed without forcing a closure, Bowman said.